November 21, 2012 - Everest Academy students Amanda Beer, Annelise James, Jane Nedwick, and Sophie Quirk are learning about money and banking by working with real money and a real bank.

The fifth graders are working with Clarkston State Bank on the Money Making Mountaineer Bank. They wrote resumes and interviewed for positions with the bank, created the name, posters, and flyers, and prepared presentations for other classes, said teacher Amanda Kosin.

"The exciting part for me as their teacher was watching the girls prepare and work together to get this program started," Kosin said. "I am very happy and pleased with these students for they have surely shown their leadership skills and enthusiasm to help others."

"I think it's good to show students how to deposit money so that they know how to save money when they get older," James said.

"I think it's really fun to use the stamp and give them deposit slips like they do in the real bank," Nedwick said.

For Quirk, "I really like filling out the forms and letting students pick a prize from the prize box."

The four girls have been trained by bank volunteers and can accept deposits and open banking accounts for fellow students.